“Head Full of Honey” Shows How Music Heals and Acceptance Is Always Key

This past weekend, I watched Til Schweiger’s latest film “Head Full of Honey,” a remake of his successful 2014 German version. With a stellar cast including Nick Nolte, Emily Mortimer and Matt Dillon, Schweiger uses humor and an absurd sense of denial to explore the devastating toll Alzheimer’s disease takes on a family. Films such as “Still Alice” and “Away from Her” approach this topic through a more serious lens, one that explores the loss of those dealing with this cataclysmic disease. Both “Still Alice” and “Away from Her” films were dramatically stronger than “Head Full of Honey” in the wrenching sadness that they depicted. Schweiger’s films instead takes a courageously different, artistic route by adding absurdity and slapstick humor to what is a dark and difficult illness. 

         Nick Nolte plays 73-year old Amadeus who embarks on an adventure with his ten-year old granddaughter Matilda (played by his daughter Sophia Lane Nolte) to Venice, Italy—where he met his beloved and, now deceased, wife. Nolte’s impressive acting abilities allow him to move effortlessly from minor mental loss to an almost blank state. There are moments of true connection between Amadeus and Matilda, moments rich with the fragility and beauty of the human experience. 

         The film provides some great insights for those dealing with the denial of loved ones losing capacity. It also sheds light on the role of caregivers and how they are not immune to this denial. In watching the film, I was often reminded of my own feelings when confronting my father’s death, and of the humor I needed to get through the loss.

Lessons highlighted in the film for me include:

• Forgetfulness. Try not to get frustrated with repetition or with being mistaken for someone else in your loved one’s life.
• Dealing with dementia is a full-time job as the disease worsens – get help 
• Acceptance is key. Work to accept the disease, to be patient, and to express love
• Not everyone’s journey is the same. The trajectory of Alzheimer’s is uneven—the person can have rapid deterioration followed by a period of stability and then more deterioration. 
• Music heals. Music can bring some memories back, as is mentioned towards the end of the film.
• Remember the love. There will be a time when the person you love won’t recognize you; Above all else, remember that they love you even when they no longer know your name. 

Yes, the storyline is largely unrealistic and there are holes in the plot. But if you want to learn most importantly and poignantly about the power of love, the tragedy of this disease, and how denial and dysfunction is at work in most families around end-of-life issues go see “Head Full of Honey.”